On Sunday afternoon, the Nuggets and Mavericks played one of the best games of the regular season.
Kyrie Irving gave the Mavericks the victory with a left-handed hook shot as time expired en route to a 24-point performance while also filling up the stat sheet in several categories.
Tonight, I'll be backing him to do it all again in San Antonio.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are in Minnesota tonight for an important game in the Western Conference standings against the Timberwolves.
Minnesota is heading home after a win in Utah last night but may be a bit shorthanded in the frontcourt. Nikola Jokic could take advantage of that tonight.
However, first we will begin in the nation’s capital, where Jalen Green will look to continue his hot shooting.
NBA Player Prop Picks for Tuesday, March 19
In the table below, you'll find each of our NBA staff's top player prop picks from today's slate of games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
| 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Rockets vs. Wizards
Jalen Green
Over 24.5 Points
Since being taken with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, getting shots up has not been an issue for Jalen Green. The 22-year-old is averaging 16 field goal attempts per game for his career but has struggled with efficiency at times.
In the month of March, he's attempting 19 field goals per game but shooting 49% from the field. Green's volume, along with the increase in efficiency, has led to an increase in his scoring as well.
In March, Green is averaging 24.6 points per game. He has scored 25 points in five of his last nine games and finished with 23 points in another matchup in that span.
In the five games in which Green has cleared this line of late, he has also knocked down at least four 3s and has attempted at least nine in each of those games.
That includes the game against Wizards last Thursday when Green went 15-for-23 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep, scoring 37 points in 37 minutes.
He took advantage of a great matchup, as Washington ranks last in defensive rating this season. It's also allowing the eighth-most points per game to shooting guards over the last 15 games.
That game was in Houston, and Green has played better at home throughout his career. However, he also scored 34 points in consecutive games in Phoenix recently.
I like Green to score at least 25 points tonight, but he has also scored 30 points in three of his past nine games, including against Washington. At FanDuel, you can back him to score 30 points at +185 and 35 points at +500.
Pick: Green Over 24.5 Points
Mavericks vs. Spurs
Kyrie Irving
Over 9.5 Rebounds + Assists
In the Mavericks' backcourt, we typically think of Luka Doncic when it comes to chasing triple-doubles. He recently had seven consecutive triple-doubles, and we backed him for the last one against the Bulls.
However, teammate Kyrie Irving has come close twice in the last three games as well. Irving posted eight rebounds and 10 assists against the Warriors on March 13, and he had nine rebounds and seven assists against the Nuggets on Sunday.
He also had four rebounds and 12 assists against Oklahoma City without Doncic.
Irving went well over this line in all three games with at least 16 rebounds and assists combined. He also had 16 in his last games against the Spurs with nine rebounds and seven assists.
He may be in a good spot to excel once again tonight.
Over the last 15 games, the Spurs are allowing the 11th-most rebounds and third-most assists to shooting guards. They're also allowing the second-most rebounds and 10th-assists to point guards in that span.
Tonight, we need 10 rebounds and assists for Irving to clear this line. That leaves room for regression from his last three games, but he's still averaging 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game on the season.
That means he would clear this line if he simply hits his averages with five rebounds and five assists tonight.
Additionally, while Irving has flirted with a triple-double lately, he's not listed in that market tonight. You can, however, back him for a double-double at +900 at DraftKings. He has two double-doubles in his last three games and finished a rebound short on Sunday.
Pick: Irving Over 9.5 Rebounds + Assists (-135)
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
Nikola Jokic
Over 25.5 Points
In Sunday's loss, Nikola Jokic had an uncharacteristic performance with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field.
However, he's still averaging 26.5 points per game and shooting 58.6% from the field in March. He cashed this over in five of his past eight games and finished with 25 points in another. Jokic has also scored 30 points in four of those games.
Additionally, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Jokic sent a group text to his teammates over the All-Star break saying "It's go time." Since then, the Nuggets have gone 11-2 and sit a half-game behind the Thunder for the top seed in the West.
With that in mind, I'd expect to Jokic to go all out tonight given that the Nuggets are facing a Timberwolves team they're tied with record-wise. Plus, Denver lost the first meeting this season and is coming off a loss on Sunday.
His job may be easier given the spot for Minnesota.
Center Rudy Gobert hasn't played since last Tuesday's game against the Clippers when he left with a rib injury. Given the stakes of tonight's game and their last two games being double-digit wins over the Jazz, it's possible that the Timberwolves held him out as a precaution.
They haven't submitted an injury report as of this writing, but center Naz Reid also left last night's game and didn't return, and they remain without Karl-Anthony Towns.
It's possible Minnesota is without its top three big men tonight and playing on the second night of a back-to-back. But I also like this spot for Jokic if Gobert plays.
Jokic is averaging 28.3 points in his last 11 regular-season games against Gobert. He also averaged 26.2 points against Minnesota in last year's first-round series. Minnesota has also allowed 23 points per game to centers over the last 15 games — a few points shy of what we need tonight.
Given the stakes of this game and the matchup, I like Jokic to score 26 points tonight. He's also +170 at FanDuel to go for 30 points.
Pick: Jokic Over 25.5 Points (-125)
